Last month, I covered the newest season of Fairy Tail, and this month I am going to talk about another member of the early 2010s Big 4 that’s dear to my heart. Like Fairy Tail, Bleach also has had loads of criticism levied against it despite its immense popularity. The franchise seemed to greatly lose popularity when the anime got cancelled after the controversial Fullbringer Arc failed to live up to many fans expectations after the mega popular, although still not uncriticized, Arrancar/Aizen arc. It seemed like shows with season breaks like Attack on Titan were replacing the traditional long running battle shonen titles and Bleach seemed to have lost a great deal of respect in fandom, that is until this major comeback.

Bleach has essentially been resurrected as the modern form of a battle shonen series, complete with season breaks and lavish production values. This new version of Bleach corrects many of the issues with the older anime, as I remember lots of filler episodes, annoying comic relief segments that dragged on for ages, and uneven production values. The Thousand Year Blood War also benefits from featuring a villain group that is a worthy successor to the Arrancars and Aizen. Unlike the Arrancar/Aizen arc, this one is, by Bleach standards, concise at a length of about 50 episodes. Part three of The Thousand Year Blood War Arc is just as good as parts one and two and is a must see for action anime fans. That’s all I’m going to say for those who don’t want spoilers, but for those who don’t mind spoilers, you can read the next paragraph at your own peril.

This next part of The Thousand Year Blood War brings back many beloved characters from Bleach‘s past which is sure to get fans cheering. The first notable return is Grimmjow, perhaps the most popular of the Arrancar. Sadly, his appearance, and most of the other reappearances of characters from previous arcs, tend to be cameos where said characters don’t do much beyond striking a cool pose. Also returning is one of the few Fullbringers that people actually like, Riruka, who instead of wearing her iconic gothic lolita outfit, wears an odd looking yet still adorable pair of pajamas. Also, the Fullbringer with the Playstation Portable who’s name I forgot is also there for a cameo for all five people who liked him. Beloved heroic Arrancar Nelliel cameoed in part one, and she cameos again in part three. The one returning nostalgic character that actually makes an impact on the plot is iconic villain Aizen, who actually gets an awesome fight scene while strapped to chair. The Soul Reapers decided to use Aizen to fight the greater evil of Ywach’s army, and that three way rivalry between Soul Reapers/Aizen/Ywach was engaging. The cameos were all cool, but Aizen’s was the one that drew the most attention.

Aside from cameos, the big fights were the other big draw, and the fights definitely delivered. Aside from Aizen’s showstopper, the other big setpieces included some very plot important fights. Mayuri and Nemu vs. Pernida was probably the best fight of the season as it provided some character development to show that maybe mad scientist Soul Reaper Mayuri has a heart somewhere. The shocking death of Nemu stuck out in a series without very few heroes dying. Still, she got to have an awesome sacrifice and put up a great fight against Pernida the evil hand thingie.

The division of loyalties is a major plot point of this section of the show as the Quincies seem to be split on main villain Ywach’s plan to destroy all of existence. Some naturally revolt as they want to keep on existing. Ichigo’s close friend Uryu is a major focus on this arc and how his loyalties between Ichigo and Quincy leader Ywach cause conflict.

In conclusion, this new Bleach has been consistently great, with amazing action sequences and a villain group that is a worthy successor to the Arrancars. My one criticism, beloved characters only returning for cameos, could be fixed in the final part if they’d just give Grimmjow, Nelliel, and Riruka as cool a fight scene as Aizen’s showstopper.

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